Crawling
by Misery Lotus
Summary: The first year at Odaiba Junior High is always the worst, for generations and generations. TaichixSora/YamatoxSora. Not funny at all.
1. Prologue

**Set before the start of Digimon Adventure 02. About two years after the end of Digimon Adventure.  
Written from Yagami Taichi and third person's point of view, there might be other characters' POVs within the story.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.**

* * *

I was in the spotlight.

I was in the spotlight, struggling to stand up, struggling to keep going. Every time I tried, new daggers were thrown at my bleeding body, new daggers into my chest, and I did not cry out.

I fell down again, trying to keep going, trying to move on.

People were watching me from the audience seats, yet none of them making a move to help me. Because I would not let them, because I blocked their vision, because they could not see me.

The show got boring, and everyone left, apart from a small fragile figure with dry eyes, just like mine. She tried to get to me with all her might, but I would not let her. I made myself invisible, she could not see me. _Hikari._

I tried to turn off the spotlight, so no one would have their attention on me, not even her. Only because she would be worried about me, because she is my sister, she is family.

I wish I was alone, I wish nobody came near me. I do not want their pity, I do not want them to comfort me, I do not want to know what is next.

My broken body collapsed, barely breathing, and the spotlight faded.

Everything went black.


	2. Salt

******Set before the start of Digimon Adventure 02. About two years after the end of Digimon Adventure.****  
****Written from Yagami Taichi and third person's point of view, there might be other characters' POVs within the story.****  
****Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.**

* * *

Hospital. July, 2001. 7:57PM.

Taichi was unconscious, his right hand on his chest, lying on the hard hospital bed with a very pained expression on his face.

He had only been going back home that afternoon, but a few gangster looking guys came across him and told him to get off their land. Taichi was obviously confused; he went home this way everyday since April, so he would know if this was actually somebody's land. Even though, those gangsters didn't give him a second chance. They knocked him out before he could even fight back, stupid cheaters. Actually Taichi was fighting, but he was alone, and there were so many of them.

"Oniichan..." Yagami Hikari sat on the chair next to the bed, looking at him sadly.

"How could they be so cruel?" Yagami Yuuko was weeping silently in the arms of Yagami Susumu, who had his teeth gritted very tightly.

Some kindhearted man had seen those gangsters bashing Taichi, stopped them and sent Taichi to the hospital, also contacting the Yagami family. If he didn't, Taichi would probably be dead by now.

Of course, Taichi's parents have suspected the man to have done these things. But if he did, he probably wouldn't have left Taichi alive and paid his emergency hospital fees too when Taichi's family hadn't arrived.  
Plus, he wasn't totally scratchless.

They had thanked him multiple times, of course, for saving the life of their son. And that, can not be forgotten.

* * *

Taichi and Hikari's room. August, 2001. 11:31AM.

"Summer camp?" Taichi asked, looking at Hikari.

"Mn." Hikari replied.

Odaiba Elementary School is holding another summer camp this year, but combining with the other schools as well.

"Do you...have to go?" Taichi asked anxiously. There is a possibility one of those schools is going to contain one of the gangsters that bet him up. Who knows what they will do to Hikari...only thinking about it is making his teeth chatter.

"Oniichan...I don't think any of those people are still in elementary school..." She resurred him.

He didn't look convinced.

"If you don't want me to go then it is fine..."

"No, that's not it." Tachi answered quickly. "If Tousan and Kaasan allows you to go then...have fun!" He grinned fakely.

She looked at him carefully and he looked back. "Sensei said it would be good if there are supervisors that had been to camp before..." She said slowly.

Taichi caught on immediately.

"Can I go?" He smiled widely. He didn't exactly want to be stuck with little kids and spend his whole time looking over them or something, but he cared about his sister's safety too much.

"Hai! Arigato!" Hikari smiled even wider.

Taichi stands on the bed's lower bunk and does a pose. "Just leave this to me, young Kintaichi! I stake my grandfather's name on it!"

Hikari sweatdropped.

"Or would you like me to evolve to Ikkyuu-san?" He said, breaking out of his pose.

(For most information please visit the Digimon Adventure Mini Drama 1&2.)

Hikari sighed. "I can't believe you actually did that in front of Sora-san..."

Taichi, wanting to stand up and protest but forgetting he was on the lower bunk, hits his head PAINFULLY on the bed.

"Itai..." He winced, rubbing his head.

Hikari giggled a bit, it was too funny. "Dai-daijoubu, oniichan?"

"Daijoubu." He said plainly, sulking.

"Gomen ne Oniichan-"

Taichi smiled proudly in his pride.

"Are wa hontou ni omoshiroi!" And she started giggling again.

Taichi went back to looking like a little kid that lost his cookie and folded his arms, but was smiling.

Hikari didn't stop laughing, so...

"Oniichan!" Hikari shouted.

Taichi just threw a blanket over her head so it was all black...

Hikari got rid of the blanket and looked at Taichi with _the look_.

Taichi folded his arms and stuck his tongue at Hikari while she did the same thing.

They laughed.

* * *

Camp Grounds. August, 2001. 8:48AM.

"EVERYONE GET OFF THE BUS!" Fujiyama-sensei barked.

"...Why does he always have to be the camp organizer..." Heaps of students mumbled.

Sora and Yamato had also came to help with camp because Taichi contacted them...kind of. They both didn't have anything important to do, so they came along as well. Mimi and Koushiro are also going to be there, because they are attending camp as elementary students.

Sadly, Jyou had something to do though. Since he attends the 'loyal private school', he has lots of study to be done.

Takeru also couldn't come because he doesn't live in Odaiba.

"Ne, Hikari," Taichi whispered to her. "When are Koushiro and Mimi coming?"

"They are coming on the other bus..." She looked around. "The one with Sora-san and Yamato-san in it."

"So...when are they coming?"

After ten long minutes...

The sound of an engine was heard zooming closer and closer. Several students ducked away as the bus nearly hit them.

The people on the bus got off, looking extremely shaky and some slightly green.

"That was the worst ride _ever_." Yamato mumbled as he got off.

"I agree." Koushiro muttered at equal volume.

Mimi and Sora didn't say anything; they looked like they just witnessed a ghost.

"Daijoubu ka, Sora?" Yamato asked, looking at how pale she is.

"Hai, Daijoubu." She replied very quietly and looked away.

He continued to look at her with concern.

"Oi!" A voice in the distance shouted.

"Taichi-san!" Koushiro and Mimi shouted back.

Taichi ran at top speed towards them but before he did, crashed PAINFULLY into a tree at the exact place he had hit his head on his bed before.

"ITAI!" He shouted furiously.

The others laughed.

"Oniichan..." Hikari caught up, gasping for breath. "Please do not run like...what happened to you..."

"I crashed into that tree." Taichi sulked.

"That explains the thing on your head..."

"What thing?"

"Eh...a bird nest..."

Everyone started laughing.

Taichi touched his head, and threw the nest off. But there was an egg in it, and somehow the mother bird just came flying while he threw it off and used his head as her nest instead.

"Onegai...get off..." He begged the bird when he failed to patter it away. "YOU GUYS DO SOMETHING PLEASE!" He shouted towards the rest.

"Hai!" Hikari went towards him and took the bird off, but was still giggling when she did so.

Taichi was in a bad mood after that.

* * *

Camp woods. August, 2001. 1:25PM.

"Taichi?" Yamato said.

No answer.

"Taichi-san?" Koushiro whispered.

No answer.

"Taichi-san?" Mimi murmured.

"Nandayo?" Taichi grumbled grumpily.

They all turned away very quickly.

"I think they are just making sure he's awake." Hikari whispered to Sora.

"Yeah, and it seems he is awake." She replied.

Since Taichi was the 'big brother', he had to make sure all the little kids stay safe and stuff. That job was extremely frustrating and embarrassing.

For example, they had to make their own lunch. Taichi couldn't light the fire for some reason and got his face blackened with ash, coughing all around making the others concerned when a _little girl about seven years old_ got the fire lit up in no time.

_(Flashback starts)_

"There must be something wrong with the wood!" Taichi shouted between coughs of ash.

Meanwhile, a totally innocent little girl went over the fire place and lit it up very easily.

_(Flashback ends)_

Not that Yamato isn't a 'big brother' and Sora wasn't a 'big sister' as well, but elementary school students seemed to like Taichi the most, probably because Taichi is just the friendly and dumb kind, whom kids love the most.

Apparently, Taichi isn't very good at dealing with little kids apart from two excepttions: Takeru and Hikari, but they are not _little_ kids now. Ahh...brings back memories.

The students were currently having lunch and playing, but the Taichi and the others decided to go for a little walk in the forest. The wind was blowing softly.

"Oniichan!" Hikari suddenly shouted.

"Nani?" He took his hands out of his pockets.

"SOMEONE JUST FELL IN THE RIVER!"

"NANI?"

Tachi started sprinting to the river, but Sora somehow was faster than him and caught up, running ahead of him.

"Sora! Matte!" He shouted as he tried to catch up.

Sora didn't reply. She got to the river and jumped straight into it.

Tachi froze.

"SORA!" He yelled.

After he finally reached the river he jumped in too.

"Sora!" He called as he looked around, searching.

The river seemed to be against him. Even if he tries to swim the opposite direction the water always pushes him back to the same direction so he could only go that way.

He called for Sora again, but there was no head of orange hair around. Plus, the water also washed him to the rocks a few times, which gave him very painful cuts and scratches.

Then the worst thing happened.

It started raining.

"...SORA!" Taichi yelled, but his voice was stolen by the wind.

Just then, a rush of waves came flying towards him, harder than the ones before since it was raining and the wind was strong. Taichi saw it too late and got blown away by it.

He was expecting to be hit PAINFULLY on the rocks again, but this time he hit something soft, which he thanked the gods for. Though, as he slowly opened his eyes he realised what was that soft thing he crashed into.

_It was a little boy with dark hair, his eyes were closed and he was bleeding. _But what scared Taichi wasn't this, this boy wasn't hurt so badly because something was behind him to get the full blast of the rock's compact when Taichi crashed into it, _someone._

"SORA!"

Taichi got her off the rock and saw her clothes were stained with red. It was such a horrible sight. He put Sora and the little boy on his back and placed their hands around his neck as he swam back to the shore supporting two people's weights, which is heavy even for strong, professional teenage soccer players.

It seemed to take forever to get to the dry land, probably because of the weight on his back. But he made it, after all.

"TAICHI!" "TAICHI-SAN!" "ONIICHAN!" The shouts were all heard at the same time, most of them filled with worry and concern for Taichi.

Taichi took the two people off his back gingerly and as he did so, the little boy started coughing.

"Daijoubu ka?" He asked him.

"Arigato gozaimasu..." The little boy muttered weakly. "You saved my life..."

"Un." Taichi said. "Be careful next time..." He didn't bother to ask his name.

He then looked at Sora, who showed no sign of life at all.

"No...Wake up, Sora..."

She didn't change.

By this time, the others have caught up. Yamato was the fastest and he stared in terror at the three people drenched in water and blood.

He rushed up to them at top speed. He didn't say anything.

"Yamato?" Taichi said without a questioning tone.

"Uh." Yamato replied in the same voice.

By now, the others had also caught up, puffing and then freezing at the sight.

"...We need to give Sora-san CPR _now_." Koushiro said shakily. "Mimi-san."

"H-hai...?" Mimi replied, surprised.

"Do you know how to?"

"A-atashi...hai!" She said with total fake confidence. "Bu-but, why me?" Now with doubt.

"We only finish first aid unit in grade five." That was Koushiro's simple reply. "Hikari-san hasn't learnt all about it."

"De-demo...hai!" Mimi went over to Sora, looking very nervous.

Meanwhile, Hikari went to the little boy.

"Daijoubu ka, Oshiro-kun?"

The boy looked up slowly, and smiled. "Daijoubu desu, Yagami-san."

"Yokatta."

Mimi took a breath. She looked like a doctor on his first surgery...which was kind of the case, actually. She checked if Sora was breathing, which she was, good, and pressed her chest a few times but she didn't react. Mimi looked at Koushiro.

"Ano...a little help here?" She said weakly.

"Hai." Koushiro went to her and started instructing her.

Yamato was still looking at Sora with that expression, not doing anything himself. Taichi had slipped off to the camp grounds to take the little boy back. Nobody noticed this.

Mimi continued on 'rescuing' Sora, but it wasn't working. Everyone's attention was so much on Sora that they didn't realise Taichi returning, partly because nobody had realised he left either. He was gasping heavily as if he ran here; he obviously went to get help but ran ahead of all the teachers.

He sat down silently behind the circle. Hikari noticed him, and responded by shaking her head to his look of desperation. Possibly she was the only one that had seen him go.

* * *

_Sora's point of view._

It was cold.

It was really cold.

And it was really uncomfortable. I could feel something pressing on to my chest frequently, but gently, though it feels bad. I don't know what happened to me, all I know is the feeling on my chest is getting worse by the second.

I hear a voice, a voice calling me name. I wanted to answer back, but I didn't find a way. I didn't find a way to open my eyes either.

Pain.

My chest was hurting, the pressure was becoming too much. I had no choice but to take off the weight if I want to live. I cough painfully and slowly open my eyes.

"Sora!" Voices around me shouted with happiness.

"H-hai." I croaked. My voice wasn't very clear either, my throat hurt badly as my chest felt bad.

I open my eyes wider, and see them looking at me worriedly but relieved in some way. I then realise my surroundings and remembered what happened. My wet clothes were clinging to me, no wonder I was so cold.  
I shivered.

"She's cold." A voice said quietly. I recognize that voice.

"I brought a jacket." Another voice said. I know that voice too.

"Mimi-san, Hikari-san, please help Sora-san get changed." This voice was calm. The only person whose voice is calm right now.

"Hai!" Two voices answered crisply.

"Sora-san, how are you feeling?" Hikari-chan asked me as she helped me sit.

"Daijoubu, daijoubu." I said quietly.

"Shh." Mimi-chan whispered. "Sora-san, please rest."

They helped me take off my shirt and put on the jacket. I said I'll be fine myself but they didn't leave me alone. It was actually a little bit embarrassing.

The wind was blowing hard. I shivered again, and faintly I saw a figure coming towards me. I shrinked.

"Sora..." He murmured.

"Yamato-kun." I answered.

"What happened to you?" He asked.

"Nothing happened to me." I said.

He placed a hand on my forehead and I tried to wedge away.

"You're forehead is warmer than usual." He said, taking off his hand.

"I'm fine."

"Iie, chigau..." Then he did something very, very, strange.

"You need to be warm." He said softly. "We can only wait for the others to come."

"Hai..." I trailed off and dropped me head on his shoulder, so tired.

* * *

_Taichi's point of view._

I have never felt this way before.

How could you be so stupid, Sora?

Because of your recklessness, I received more cuts than I did when I met those gangsters.

I can't blame you, because I'd do the same thing, but you could have waited for me. I am stronger than you and I can swim better than you too, why did you run ahead?

Since when do you run so fast, anyway? I suppose tennis has made you stronger?

I carried the kid back. He was thanking me non-stop until I told him to stop talking.

I ran around searching for Fujiyama-sensei to tell him what happened. He didn't listen to me at first, but then I used a voice a little bit loud for his ears so he turned his attention on me, along with all the other people around.

I don't know why, but the people coming were so slow at running. I couldn't stand it. I asked for permission to get in front and surprisingly, sensei allowed.

I sprinted even faster than Sora when she was running towards the river, but disappointment and more panic hit me as I saw she still wasn't awake. Hikari confirmed this as well. After a while of Mimi's emergency treatment she spat out water and opened her eyes. I was glad. A half of the gladness because of Mimi's treatment looked uncomfortable to whoever is receiving it.

"Sora!"

"H-hai?" She said smally.

She seems so strong, able to answer even when she just escaped from a river on a windy, raining day.

"She's cold." Yamato whispered.

"I brought a jacket." I took off my jacket, which Fujiyama-sensei gave me.

"Mimi-san, Hikari-san, please help Sora-san get changed." Koushiro said calmly.

I looked at Yamato at the same time he looked at me. We turned the other way.

"Hai!" Mimi and Hikari answered.

Koushiro caught up with me and Yamato; we have to get away if a girl is getting changed.

Suddenly, Yamato turned around and walked the opposite direction to Sora. I heard their distant words.

"Daijoubu desuka, Taichi-san?" Koushiro asked me, looking at my drained clothes that I had not bothered to change out of. _And_ the blood on them.

"Daijoubu da." I replied. "The blood is not mine, anyway."

He nodded seriously and I returned to listening to their words...I was _not_ eavesdropping.

"You're forehead is warmer than usual." Yamato was saying.

"I'm fine." Sora said, being stubborn as she was definately _not_ fine. Even a dead fly can see that.

"Iie, chigau..." I heard Yamato say.

He spread out his long arms and wrapped them around Sora.

"You need to be warm." I heard him say. "We can only wait for the others to come.

Sora mumbled something, and then fell asleep on his shoulder.

I walked towards them, and tapped Hikari and Mimi's shoulders. They turned their heads towards me.

"Come on," I whispered. "Give them a moment."

They nodded silently and followed me.

I walked the direction I came from, walking slowly. Hikari and Mimi seemed to still want to see the sweet scene for another bit, so I left them there walking in snail motion.

I went past Koushiro, who was looking around to see if the adults had come. I went in the woods to see as well.

* * *

I didn't understand.

I didn't understand the way how my cuts were hurting, how they were hurting unbearably.

I didn't understand the way how the left of my chest was hurting too, hurting with a cold pain that can not be ignored, every breath hurt, hurting too much, way too much. My head bursting and pounding, as if so much weight is on it.

Is it because of the water? I knew that salt can clean the wound but it will sting badly, maybe that was the case.

But aren't saltwater only supposed to be in oceans? There aren't supposed to be salt in rivers and lakes, only in the sea.

Why was there salt in the water?

I didn't get to find out.

* * *

_Third person's point of view._

Taichi was walking to the woods. Hikari departed her eyes from the scene and looked back at Taichi instead, looking at him with the same expression she was using when he was on the hospital bed.

She nearly sighed.

"Koushiro-kun?" Mimi went over to him.

"Hai?" Koushiro said.

"What are you doing?"

"I want to see if Fujiyama-sensei had come yet, he walks slow..." Koushiro added quietly.

Mimi giggled.

"Ne...uh...watash-"

Thud.

"Oniichan!"

Hikari ran towards the collapsed Taichi, so did Koushiro and Mimi as they heard her shout.

"Oniichan..." Hikari held his head in her arms.

Koushiro rushed to him and looked, wide-eyed. "I knew it wasn't only Sora-san and the boy's blood..."

Taichi's shirt was stained, more than it had before. His face was paler than Sora; he seemed to be even more hurt than her.

"This is not good..." Mimi whimpered. "What do we do now?"

Luckily, at that moment the adults came.

"I'm...here..." Fujiyama-sensei puffed, seemingly extremely unfit at that moment. "Where...is...the...victim..."

"Victim?"

"Victim!"

"VICTIM!"

"Hehe...just using a metaphor you see..." Fujiyama-sensei scratched his head, grinning sheepishly.

Every other conscious being sweatdropped.

"Sora-san and Taichi-san are unconscious." Koushiro told him.

"We need to get them back then!" Fujiyama-sensei shouted.

"I'll get Sora." Yamato said, speaking for the first time and picking Sora up.

No one commented.

"Yagami...hmm..." Fujiyama-sensei went, putting two fingers on his chin in a thinking fashion that looks very ugly.

"Hai, Fujiyama-sensei?" Hikari said, thinking he was talking about her.

"Oh, I was talking about this Yagami." He threw his eyes at Tachi.

Unknown to them, right now Taichi wasn't completely unconscious. He could still see through his half-open eyelids and hear too. He was never really completely unconscious, probably just half. Of course, that means he witnessed the whole scene too.

"Dai...daijoubu." Taichi said quietly.

"Oniichan!" Hikari exclaimed in surprise.

"Don't worry...about me," He said. "I can walk." He tried to stand up and shook a bit, but managed.

"Oniichan..." Hikari said again.

"I-ie, Yagami!" Fujiyama-sensei suddenly shouted. "I WOULD NOT HAVE YOU WALKING BACK BY YOURSELF!"

People stared at him.

Taichi was staring at him too, wide-eyed. "Uh...Fujiyama-sensei?" He asked, unsure.

"I WOULD NOT HAVE A SICK STUDENT WALKING AROUND BY HIMSELF!"

"I am not sick..."

"HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THE BLOOD ON YOUR SHIRT THEN! I WOULD CARRY YOU BACK MYSELF IF I HAVE TO!" He ordered.

"Eh...hai...?" Taichi stuttered, surprised and flustered..

To Mimi and Koushiro...

"Ne ne, I never knew Fujiyama-sensei was so...so..." Mimi trailed off.

"Ah...I understand..." Koushiro whispered back.

Back to Taichi...

"SOMEBODY CARRY YAGAMI BACK!" Fujiyama-sensei barked.

A group of other student supervisors came running.

"I don't need..." Taichi began.

"Taichi..." A weak voice from behind him murmured.

"Sora!" He turned around at top speed.

"Taichi. Listen to her." Yamato said, carrying Sora in his arms.

"...Mn..." Taichi replied, and fell down again.

Fujiyama-sensei, who was nearest, caught him. "Now, Yagami, is not the time for a joke." He said.

Taichi didn't react.

Koushiro, who knows that Taichi would not joke at a time like this realised. "Fujiyama-sensei...I don't think he is playing a joke."

"Nani?"

Everyone looked at Taichi.

His face was draining out of colour. On the ground where a minute ago he had being lying, was a trail of blood: still coming from his body.

"Oniichan!" Hikari screamed.

* * *

Due to the weather, camp had been canceled.

Taichi was being sent once again to the hospital. You could see him, still clutching the left of his chest.

* * *

**End of chapter 1: Salt**


End file.
